Pele

 

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known worldwide as Pelé, is a retired professional soccer player from Brazil who played as a striker. He was one of the most successful and popular sports stars of the twentieth century, regarded as one of the best players of all time and dubbed "the greatest" by FIFA. The International Olympic Committee honored him Athlete of the Century in 1999, and Time named him one of the 100 most influential individuals of the twentieth century. Pelé was named World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics in 2000, and was one of two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award that year. His total of 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including friendly, is a Guinness World Record.

Pelé joined Santos at the age of 15 and the Brazil national team at the age of 16. He was the first player to win three FIFA World Cups throughout his international career: 1958, 1962, and 1970. With 77 goals in 92 appearances, Pelé is Brazil's all-time best goalscorer. He is Santos' all-time leading goalscorer with 643 goals in 659 appearances. Santos won the Copa Libertadores in 1962 and 1963, as well as the Intercontinental Cup in 1962 and 1963, during a great period for the club. Pelé is credited with coining the term "The Beautiful Game" to refer to football. His "electrifying skill and predilection for spectacular goals" made him a global celebrity, and his teams traveled globally to capitalize on his success. Pelé was the best-paid athlete in the world for a time during his playing career. Pelé has become a global ambassador for football since his retirement in 1977, as well as a successful actor and businessman. He was elected Honorary President of the New York Cosmos in 2010.

Pelé, who scored almost a goal per game during his career, could strike the ball with either foot and read his opponents' moves on the pitch. While mostly a striker, he can also drop deep and take on a play-maker role, delivering assists with his vision and passing abilities, as well as going past opponents with his dribbling talents.